There is an interesting editorial in the BMJ Christmas issue, BMJ 2006;333:1283-1284 (23 December) about the development of Web 2.0 and its impact in medical content.
"Web 2.0 brings people together in a more dynamic, interactive space ....... The new environment features a highly connected digital network of practitioners where knowledge is not limited or controlled by private interests."
Many medical schools, medical journals as well as physicians have embraced the opportunity the emerging technologies offer in sharing, creating and disseminating medical knowledge as well as exhanging opinions in real time. Some popular examples of Web 2.0 include blogs, wikis, RSS feeds, podcasts etc.
Many quick responses to the editorial are in favour of the Web 2.0 : the interactivity of Web 2.0 will help doctors make better decisions and empowered patients, medical information and updates can be pushed far more effectively. A few warn that using these creative tools requires responsibility and the collaboration of medical information needs verifying and certifying so that users can trust and rely on it.
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